


through the looking glass: a series of analysis's of usnavi de la vega and benny

by yo_let_me_get_a_milkyway



Category: In the Heights - Miranda/Hudes
Genre: Best Friends, Character Analysis, Developing Friendships, Friends to Lovers, Lowercase, M/M, Musical References, Nonfiction, Queer Platonic themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28155573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yo_let_me_get_a_milkyway/pseuds/yo_let_me_get_a_milkyway
Summary: a meta/series of metas - depending on my abilities to churn out more of these - on the characters of usnavi de la vega and benny from in the heights. chapters will be labeled accordingly.
Relationships: Benny & Usnavi (In the Heights), Benny/Usnavi (In the Heights)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	through the looking glass: a series of analysis's of usnavi de la vega and benny

**Author's Note:**

> had the idea to write this down somewhere that WASN'T in a discord server. here i am, coming out with my ideas. huh. 
> 
> anyways. i hope you enjoy reading these, however cluttered and messy they may be, and i would definitely love to hear your commentary should you choose to leave some.

_queer platonic relationships are typically characterized by having a level of emotional closeness and dedication comparable to or equal to that found in a romantic relationship despite the relationship not being romantic in nature._

the idea originally started in a dm between me and a friend, in which they told me that upon listening to in the heights, they had naturally assumed that benny and usnavi had a queer platonic thing going on. i could definitely see it going on, but upon taking the time to analyze the choreography, take in a lyrical analysis, and also recognize the musical motif that benny and usnavi bring into the music, i could definitely see it being a thing.

i myself am not in a queer platonic relationship, but from what i've gathered, it happens to be a relationship that nearly cracks the boundaries between friends and romantic partners. in western media especially, creators like to draw the lines between best friends and romantic partners. often times, content consumers like to disregard said lines and hyper-analyze the friendly relations, such as affection via action, words, and thought, and call out the rather romantic aspect of it. i do admit that that is very hypocritical of me to state, seeing as i view a lot in a bensnavi lens in pertinence to these two, and ~~honest to god i am not ashamed of it.~~

but for a moment, let's view this in a special lens. queer platonic relationships often involve the non-romantic partners doing things one would consider to be romantic, via actions, thoughts, words, etc - some of the main ways, regardless of the media type, we get our character's traits from. for example, character a could gently take character b's hand and squeeze it in encouragement. one could regard this action as entirely platonic, a small reassurance and a small hope from a to b. another could see it in the romantic lens, as a need for each other and a grip of the hand. as i said though, we are viewing this in a qpr lens.

so, one could refer to character a taking character b's hand as a small reassurance from friend to friend, but in a slightly more intimate manner than the average friend would. 

but what defines the line between platonic and romantic intention? 

let's take into account, now, benny and usnavi. two best friends at the hip. i feel like benny and usnavi are really comfortable and easy with each other because their honesty makes their relationship easier. they communicate really smoothly and it's because it's in their characters to be honest and they dont want drama!! it's hard for them to form relationships with people that are trying to be subtle!!

re: they both need tone indicators (which is very adhd coded, but ill get to that in another analysis) but let's get to the point! communication is something very important - especially when it comes to a relationship like this, where friendship/romance is a VERY thin line - and it'd be very easy for them to negotiate boundaries and details and such. 

and such details are scattered through their actions, words, and thoughts. especially: 

-benny and usnavi in the club, right after kevin and benny have that argument. benny leading the conversation and usnavi sympathetically chirping after him, them just hopping off to the side and dropping everything to speak together. usnavi may have his date with vanessa and benny may have that whole thing going on with nina, but theyre still acknowledging each other/prioritizing the other's wellbeing instead of giving the spotlight to themselves. both of them having their romantic inclinations and STILL putting each other, as best friends, on a higher level of importance than we usually see from the average m/m relationship in any form of media? that's a really healthy friendship, and a really qpr one at that. 

-benny in the opening, coming into the bodega as he is introduced. here i introduce a musical, lyrical, and choreographical motif of benny just being this super chill dude in usnavi's life. it's a small mellow hip hop beat, representing the fact that he isnt latino and disregarding that overall salsa everyone else has, but it's also very mellow and fun, showing that benny is someone that is very close to him who he deems a friend. kinda like the calm in the storm. and they have the whole routine where benny hugs his arm around usnavi and i just!!! i love how comfortable this vibe is!! theyre completely open and honest and comfortable with each other and that's what makes their dynamic flow so well, and that's what definitely makes for that queer platonic relationship. theyre just that close. love that for them. 

-benny offhandedly mentioning usnavi during hihp and wyh. they just think of each other, but not in the romantically inclined manner. very qpr. 

-benny gives affection via hugs and being all touchy!! that's why theyre so close to each other, especially in the opening when he's wrapping a hand around usnavi's back!!! or the fixing of his collar, the scene in 96000 where he sorta brings him into this dreamer world, etc! 

let me begin to wrap this up, however, because author's got quite a few drafts to stuff into a can and publish for the good of the general public. 

you could interpret benny and usnavi being as close as they are as platonic or romantic! some people view same sex platonic relationships in a romantic lens because they really want that queer rep in media - which, understandable!! because i do it too!! some people dont like to and instead choose to respect the friendship dynamic.

we should also acknowledge the normalization of m/m friendships being touchy and affectionate outwardly via words and actions. toxic masculinity plays a role in this, however big or small its impression may be. notice how benny is so open with his affections, basically hugging everyone and expressing his feelings on his sleeve. compare it to someone who feels as if expressing said emotions isn't manly. there's a bit of a difference in thought/dynamic there. 

but, in summary? queer platonic bensnavi is definitely something to think about. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! feel free to drop on by and ask more question on tumblr @yo-let-me-get-a-milkyway, and leave a kudo and a comment :)


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